This invention relates to facilities for loading, unloading, and transfer of cargo between ship and shore.
Seaports around the world are the nexus of international trade. Most international trade of manufactured goods is shipped through ocean ports. Cargo arrives at docks on the waterfront via truck or train. It may be stored in a warehouse before it is loaded onto a sailing vessel for transport. The cargo is loaded onto the vessels by large cranes. When the vessel reaches its destination port, the cargo is unloaded by cranes and may once again be stored in a warehouse before being transferred to the vehicles which will deliver it to its ultimate destination on land.
At present, the transfer of cargo between ship and shore is limited by several physical requirements:                Permanent infrastructure, such as piers, cranes, warehouses and roads, must exist to make the transfer possible.        Vessels taking on or unloading cargo must lay alongside a pier and tie up to the pier in a position that allows movement for rise and fall of the normal tide.        Vessels taking on or unloading cargo must remain in a relatively constant position next to the pier within the reach of cranes and other devices used to load and unload cargo.        During the loading and unloading process, cargo must be temporarily stored in the vicinity of the pier infrastructure.        The pier where the cargo transfer is taking place must provide close access to roads or railways so that cargo may be transported to and from the pier.        
It may also happen that coastal port facilities and infrastructure may be lost or damaged due to many causes, including natural disasters, terrorist acts, or wars. There is also the possibility that ports may be lost in future due to other anthropogenic reasons, such as the rise of ocean levels due to global warming. These events may destroy or submerge ports and port facilities, or otherwise render them unusable.
Current methods of ship to shore cargo transfer do not address problems related to the loss of port facilities, creation of new port facilities and infrastructure. Because the infrastructure of current systems is permanent, it cannot be moved to another location if the port is flooded or otherwise made unavailable for the loading and unloading of cargo.
In the event of the loss of port facilities for large ocean-going vessels, one solution that may be suggested is barging of the cargo from ship to shore. However, this solution has limitations, as barges also require port offloading facilities which may not be usable due to the same or similar events that close ocean ports.
In the event of the loss of a port due to a natural disaster, terrorist act or war, it may not be feasible to rebuild the port structure of docks, jetties, cargo loading machinery and storage warehouses. For instance, high costs may prevent rebuilding or, in the case of a war, continued hostilities in the area may make it difficult to rebuild. In the event of a major global warming event, the ocean level is predicted to rise along the entire coastline of the world's continents. With the loss of port facilities due to rising sea level, the ability to stage cargo next to a moored ship is lost as the rising sea levels cover docks, piers, warehouses, bridges, train tracks and other infrastructure. Because the rise in ocean levels is projected over so large an area, it is not feasible to build locks and dams to hold back the rising water. Furthermore, it is not feasible for governments or for the commercial sector to build and rebuild new port faculties with every significant shift of sea level, due to high costs. Additionally, with coasts shrinking inland, if permanent facilities and structures are lost, it may be difficult to rebuild them in the space available. The available space for new infrastructure may be limited due to other existing buildings or structures, particularly in urban areas.
Rising tides from global warming may also lead to loss of inland port facilities. Just as a rising tide lifts all boats, a rising tide also floods all ports whether they are coastal or on inland rivers. Shipping on lakes and rivers may therefore also be disrupted in the event of a global rise in sea levels.
When port facilities become unavailable for shipping, it can disrupt economies and the daily lives of the people living in those countries where shipping can no longer occur. With the inability to ship or receive goods, economic downturns may result. Citizens of the affected countries may suffer personal hardships due to unavailability of goods, as well as economic hardships related to a depressed economy.
It is further the case that situations may arise where a port is required where one does not now exist. Creating such a facility is time consuming and costly and may not be responsive to the exigencies of a given situation. For example, humanitarian aid may be required in an area where there are no port facilities. National defense concerns might require a port to off load military forces. In both of these cases, speed of port creation is paramount. There may simply be no time to build facilities for large ships of the type now used, yet still positively affect the outcome of the given situation.
What would be useful is a system and method of delivering cargo that enables international ocean transport to continue despite events that may have caused loss of port facilities. Such a system could use either temporary or permanent port facilities, depending on availability, and could be used at inland or coastal ports. The temporary facilities could be either long-term or short-term use of parts of the existing commercial infrastructure and be flexible enough to accommodate a continuing rise of sea water and or a fluctuating rise and fall of sea level over the coming decades. To lift and load the cargo, vehicles should be used which are not wholly dependent on the availability of infrastructure such as roads or railroads. Such a cargo delivery system could be fully transportable and could be assembled and launched from a large ship such as an aircraft carrier, as well as recovered for movement to another location.